Sauce for the Goose not Sauce
for the Gander?

Sequel
to - Periscope -Global Sinhala Village For LankaWeb

By Walter Rajaratne Sydney
Australia.

The disclosure made by Minister Mangala Samaraweera on the exorbitant
spending spree of borrowed money amounted to US$18 million (Rs.2 billion)
by Ranil Wickramasinghe during his 30 months tenure, surrendering future
generations of Sri Lanka to the World Bank is nothing but disgusting.
The article on periscope LankaWeb - 23/10/04) is most welcome.

Nonetheless, it fell short of the most conspicuous frauds that have
not been addressed, giving a hint of a whitewash to the very authors,
who are in the UPFA bandwagon as champions against corruption. Isnt
it pertinent to expose their history to the effect if not which the
ulterior motive behind the precious little they have boldly exposed
would be the precursor to a greater pillage.

Sandy (AG) C, one abettor of the notorious Presidential Tariff Commission,
initiated by JRJ that granted enormous concessions to a select band
of nefarious industrialists who are today wielding gigantic state power
through their robbed wealth from the poor citizens, no wonder had his
tentacles well stretched when his colleagues who were voted out in the
1994, to be recalled for an altogether a different operation, of course
in a new disguise, when they (UNF) swept to power in 2001 election.
The PTC, about which the Chandrika regime made a big hue and cry and
stealthily scrapped, was only for a short respite for the men behind
that covert operation to be conveniently reassigned to positions of
their choice with new found friends in the new UF regime. (Kieth Noyhrs
investigation desk, Sunday Mirror exposed the corrupt practices of PTC
in 1995) The rest of the White Skinned Sahibs mentioned in Mangala/Ravi
communiqué are no novices to Sri Lankan economy.

In a recent Exco meeting, at which the UNF conducted the post-mortem
of their defeat the cat jumped out of the bag with more revelations
with regard to John Earl's main function as that of selecting Ranil's
clothing, and providing him with speech training and strategies to create
dissension in opposition ranks. At whose cost? The poor taxpayers
tummy. The memory is refreshed about a woman by the name Padma Maharaja
of Maharaja fame, who did a similar job from 94 onwards and the benefits
accrued to the services is anybodys guess.

R Sam, the protégé of Kumaratunga regime in its heyday,
reappeared under the auspices of Ranil regime for a swashbuckling twenty
fold higher, US Dollar pay packet. A classic reminder of the axiom that,
in politics, all that prevails is permanent interests not permanent
friendships. A Colossal rampage on the treasury resources, plundered
at will. Isnt the ex Minister Cader, now behind bars, with his
Rs. one million rice bowl , only a negligible peanut when huge whales
and tiger sharks escaped, shredding the nets with millions of dollar
loots. Its strange to note that it has taken 6 months to bring
this heinous crime to the notice of the public that raises many an eye
brow. Ravi K has salvaged his Rs. 16 million shady deal under the new
alliance with Mangala, it seems. There is no doubt that the culprits
should be brought to justice.

Inquisitively, the World Bank who releases funds under strict preconditions
has not batted an eyelid as to how this colossal daylight robbery took
place under their very nose. These are the same monetary institutes
that are sending reminders to commence talks, granting a de facto Eelam
under a de jure ISGA for any development loans from the promised $4.2
billion carrot. Is our legal fraternity short of expertise to bring
these culprits of international monetary organisations to books?

Instead, close associates from the retired judiciary must be running
behind bigwigs, promoting a presidential commission to spend a few more
millions and a cosy time in their last leg in a comfortable office,
with a thumping pay packet. Ultimately this $18 million plunder would
be a distant memory while those brigands who collected the loot would
reappear, in the not too distant future, no sooner Ranil is back in
the command to recommence from where they left.

At the time when this plunder was taking place was the president in
a deadly coma. She, as the president had every right and authority to
put a stop to these hidden schemes had she been so mindful of the nation,
as we hear today from various platforms that she appears, expressing
her grief and shock of the economic calamity created by Ranil and the
mob. Did we hear, a couple of days back, that she wanted to jump into
the sea at the agonizingly rising cost of living? Alas, she must be
kidding, reminiscing her tender age sea baths at a sandy beach for a
change? Nonetheless, we are at a loss how she in a breakneck speed rose
to the occasion when she arbitrarily captured the three ministries that
began the end of Ranil regime.

Is the president Kumaratunga with her overwhelming 50 plus cabinet
doing anything different today? Mangala, the mouth piece of Chandrika,
may have conveniently cleared his ministerial credit card aerobatics
from his memory but not the masses. Be patient till the next turn of
Ranil to listen to a list of alarming robberies committed by the incumbent
regime in unimaginable proportion, yet again with no bandits brought
to books.

This is the game of Nero the Fiddler, re-enacted deceiving the hapless
people of Sri Lanka who are running in a blind alley driven by a futile
communal war created by the power hungry elite class, which they are
gleefully reaping a thieving harvest that maximises their pleasure games
at best.

Just to wind up lets remind the reader a few robberies that we have
become wary of talking any further and forgotten for good.

The fleet of security vehicles imported covertly through her cronies
at a cost of Rs.2.5 billion under a clandestine urgency for presidents
security. Prabahakaran too should have got his percentage for the business
promoted through his unsuccessful (make believe) attempt on her life.
He never failed before.